Monday, June 8, 2009

Lord of the wing

Hebrew Biblical poetry is most notable for its (sometimes brutal) economy: the ideal verse has only six words, three for each line. Why, then, does Proverbs 1:17 refer to the "lord of the wing" (two words in Hebrew) rather than the "bird" (one word, which would have kept the line at three words)?

I could spin a couple theories, but I don't know. On the other hand, I do know this is how poetry works in general: work within established rules so they can be broken for effect.

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